The streets of Congo’s capital, Kinshasa, appeared calm on Sunday after the army announced it had foiled a coup attempt earlier in the day.
Government forces in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) announced that they had successfully thwarted an attempted coup.
The incident, which unfolded Saturday night, has left the nation on edge as authorities work to restore order and investigate those involved.
Clashes were reported between men in military uniform and guards of a local politician at a politician’s house on Tshatshi Boulevard, about 2 kilometres (1.2 miles) from the presidential palace and where some embassies are also located.
The armed men attacked the Kinshasa residence of Vital Kamerhe, a federal legislator and a candidate for speaker of the National Assembly of Congo, but were stopped by his guards, Michel Moto Muhima, his spokesperson, said on the X social media platform.
This came amid a crisis gripping President Felix Tshisekedi’s ruling party over an election for the parliament’s leadership, which was supposed to be held Saturday but was postponed.
Local media identified the men as Congolese soldiers. It wasn’t clear if the men in military uniform were trying to arrest the politician.
Two police officers and one of the attackers were killed in the shootout that started around 4:30 a.m. (0330GMT) at the house on Tshatshi Boulevard, according to Muhima.
The footage, seemingly from the area, showed military trucks and heavily armed men parading deserted streets in the neighbourhood.
On Friday, President Felix Tshisekedi met with parliamentarians and leaders of the Sacred Union of the Nation ruling coalition in an attempt to resolve the crisis amid his party, which dominates the national assembly.
He said he would not “hesitate to dissolve the National Assembly and send everyone to new elections if these bad practices persist.”
Residents expressed their anger over the incident, calling for diplomatic solutions and proper investigations into how the attackers managed to breach security.
This turmoil adds to the ongoing armed conflict in the east, where Congolese forces are battling M23 rebels in North Kivu province, displacing over a million people since last year.
